Vice President Biden hits hard on Stark differences with GOP ticket

By Stephanie ujhelyiThe Review Published: October 23, 2012 3:00 AM

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Stark County was "fired up and ready for Joe" when Vice President Joe Biden made a campaign stop late Monday morning in Canton.

Much of the visit to the J. Babe Stearn Community Center dealt with demonstrating the clear differences between President Barack Obama and Republican opponent Mitt Romney's philosophies on growing and restoring the economy.

Biden took the podium around 11:45 a.m. to a standing ovation and one supporter yelling, "Give 'em hell, Joe" from the 850-plus member audience.

The vice president cited the example of President Harry S. Truman, stating, "I just tell them the truth and they just think it is hell."

Biden started out by reminding attendees that extended hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. began Monday in the state of Ohio and to take advantage of it. "The sooner you vote, the better momentum," he said.

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"We all have fundamentally different views and value sets. The differences are profound," Biden continued.

Describing the differing stances on the war in Afghanistan, outsourcing jobs and women's rights, the vice president expressed concern if Romney and running mate Paul Ryan are elected.

"President Obama and I are committed (to seeing) that our daughters and granddaughters have the same opportunities as our sons and grandsons, while Romney and Ryan don't believe in a woman's right to control her body," the vice president continued. "Romney is out of touch on the fundamentals," describing his policies as "etch-a-sketchy." "President Obama has steel in his spine. The best I can say about our opponents is that somehow after their convention, they discovered the middle class. My dad had an expression: 'Show me your budget and I tell you what you value.'"

Vice President Biden went on to detail the ticket's plans for the economy, including expansion of education programming and personnel, especially in the area of math and science, and industry, like steel, auto, oil and gas.

"Where is it written that we cannot once again be the top steel producer in the world?" Biden explained, talking about the resurgence of steel in Canton, Lorain and Youngstown. "When the middle class does well, everybody does well. That is why we cut middle-class and small business taxes," Biden explained. "The economy doesn't grow from the top down (but) from the middle out. We cut small business taxes 18 times."

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Biden explained Americans only have "truly sacred obligation" and that is to care for the troops who return home.

"These families are learning the spine of America. I have never seen two candidates be so negative about this culture of dependency. I don't recognize the country they are talking about," the vice president added.

"America is coming back -- not in decline like (Romney and Ryan) claim. America isn't in decline. This is what it is. Romney and Ryan are in denial."

Biden was accompanied by his daughter Ashley, former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and Doreen Culver, a former Stark County teacher.

Strickland reminded the crowd 15 days before Election Day, "Ohio is once again at the tip of the sphere. We stand ready to do the right thing to reward a president and vice president who saved the American auto industry, who saved us from a deep recession by passing the Economic Recovery Act and who passed health care, who ended the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. (This is a) team who cares for 100 percent of Americans."

After departing from Canton, Biden traveled to Parma and Lorain for additional Monday stops.